Guard-rail system.



A. MORRISON.

GUARD RAIL SYSTEEM ARPLIUATION FILED ocT.14,19os.

921,140, Patented May 11,1909.

Wl-TN`ESSES VWM I @www ANDREW MORRISON, OF YVPllTSBUR-G, PENNSYLVANIA.

@imminent SYSTEM.

Y .Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented muy 1 1, 190g,

appiieaam'med october 1i, ieos. serial nojiimeo.

. the accompanying' drawings, forming partof this specification, in whichz- Figures' 1, 2 and 3 are sectional views illustrating different embodiments of my invention.` Fig. 4 is aplan View of they tie plate.

My.invention has relation to guard rail systems, and is designed to provide a novel construction and arrangement of .the lmain andguard rails, together with the tie or seating plate therefor, whereby the main rail is utilized to hold the guard rail securely fas-v tened against tilting or tipping, and permitting the use of rolled sections for both the main and guard rails Without the necessity for special bending 4operations on the base fianges of such rails. v l

The nature of my invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, which will now be described, it being premised, however, that I do'not limit.

myself to the exact constructions and arrangements of the parts, since these may be varied in detail Without departing from the spirit andscope of my invention as defined in l the appended claims. i

Referring first to the form of my invention shovm in Fig. 1,1 the numeral 2 designates the main rail, 3 the guard rail, and 4 'the base or tie plate upon which ,both rails are seated. In accordance with my 'invention ,thc main rail 2, which is an ordinary T-rail section, is ofless height than the guard rail 3, which is also of an ordinary T-rail section. To su lport the two rails so that their heads will e at the same height, the tie plate 4 is formed with a raised seating portion 5 at one end,l

which extends underneath a. portion of the base of the main rail, and which is of suffi# cient thickness to com -)ensate for lthe difference in the height or Vepth of the two rails. This base or tie plate may be conveniently formed from a rolled plate having one edge portionf-olded over u on itself to--fornilthev Ipart of increased thic ess underneath the main rail, said late also having the rib or lug 6 against whici'the outer edge of the base flange of the-,l guard railx3 -is seated. Said plate is also suitably punched to receivethe securingspks .0r fastenings forthe rail'. The inner base flange 7 of the guard rail extends underneath the base-idange of thel main rail, so that vthe guard rail is securely held irl-place by the main rail, the base flange of the guard rail having 'one or more spike openings 8 therethrough to receive the se@ curing spikes for the main. rail.

The construction shownin Fig.-2 is similar' to that shown in Fig; 1, with the exception that the guard rail is shownas having the 'major'4 ortion of its head at its inner side, andif desired a section may be used for this rail in which the entire head is at the side of the rail, rails of this section being Weliknown in the art. This form has the advantage over that shown in F ig. 1 of permitting the webs ef. the niain yand guard rails -to be farther apart, while bringing their heads in the same relation to 'each other, v y the'necessity for extending the base fiange'of the guard rail as far underneath the base flange of the main rail as is necessary in the form shown in F ig. 1,-t'hus giving greater o f portunity for vadjustment of Vthe two rai s relatively to each other to compensate for Wear on their heads, and also erinitting the s ike hole Sa .tobe placed fartii t e web of the guard rail'. The saine object may be obtained bythe construction shown in Fig. 3, in which the web 9 of the guard rail is inclined inwardly so as to bring its head closer to the head of the main rail.

My invention provides a guard rail system in which rolled section smay be used for both the main and guard rail-s, and in which the This avoids er 'away from main rail acts to hold the guard rails securely Y in place Without the necessity foi-'special bendinguoperations to enable the base flangeof the guard rail to be carried underneath the base flange of the main rail. If desired, 'tbe-upper surface of the inner flange of the guard rail may be rolled with a flattened portion 1-0 at its edge to extend underneath the base flange of the main rail, or this flange may be slightly planed orl'for the same pur pose. This is only necessary, however, in

.caseit is desired to get a very lclose lit, asin other cases the ordinary T-rail section may be employed. l

The particular form of base or tie plate herein shown `and described may be readily and cheaply manufactured, `and specific claim will e made therefor. I do not, however, limit myself, insofar es the main features of iny invention are concerned, to the use of e ltie plate of this particular character, since it may obviously be mede in other Ways.

What Ileleim is in e. guard rail system, a main rail and e guardrail, the guard rail being of e. higher v section. than the main rail, the bese of the mein rail being se'yated in part upon the baise of lthe guard rali and in part upon e. se :irate and independent support; substantialy as described. p

2. In. a. guard rall system, a. main rail and 'efguard rail, the guard rail being of a higher.

section than. the niain rail and having its 4bese frange extending' underneethtlie bese main rail being seated in part upon the base of the lguard rail-end in part upon a separate and inde endent support, the hea-d of theA guard rei being eccentric with respect to the center line of the base of said rail; substrintiolly es described.

f1. in e. guard rail system, the combinartion with main and guard rails, oi diil'erent heights, of e tie or bese plete provided with lseating `portions of different thickness or heights for seid rails, the portion of greatest thickness or height being` formed by doubling one ed ge portion oi' the plate upon itself; sub stentielly :is described.

f5. `In e guar-:l rail system, having 11min and l uerdrails of different heights :t rolled tie plate having en edge portion bent upon itself to forni en elevated sent for the innin rail: substantially as described.

6. In e, guard ruil system, :t mein' ruil und e guard rail, the guard ruil being ol :r higher section then the rhein ruil, the bese ol the 11min ruil hztving e holdingpdown engagement with the bese ol the guard ruil, :rnd ineens for permitting :i littoral adjustment ol one rail relatively to the other; substantially as described.

in testimony whereof, i have hereunto sot niv hand.

ANDREW MOR HISON Witnesses M. V. KIEHL, H. M. Conwnv. 

